My Final Decision
by Jojapi
Summary: How would it be if JD were bipolar? Mature/gory themes.
1. Chapter 1

_How would it be if JD were bipolar? It could make sense; he shows periods of sadness, and also of manic creativity, in his daydreams. Bipolar disorder is something that quite interests me, as a lot of my favourite comedians have had it, Spike Milligan to name just one. It's quite an odd thought, so forgive me if it's not perfect. This is just the first chapter, there will probably be one more after this.  
_

_Aslo, it's my first fan fiction - so it may not be the best! Please review and tell me what you think._

_I do not own any of the scrubs characters.  
_

***

Dark clouds dragged themselves across the damp sky, spitting droplets maliciously on the inhabitants of the ground below. People rushed for cover, holding newspapers over their heads, sheltering their paperwork, scuttling like bugs to escape the downpour. Ambulances pulled in and out of the hospital, doctors strode importantly around the courtyard.

JD sighed as he walked around the corner and out of the sliding glass doors that marked the boundaries of the hospital. It had been another tough day. Hard as it was to think about Kim, the miscarriage, and the fact that he had only a small, uncomfortable tent and a cold night to look forward to, even worse was the guilt that somewhere, someone was going through much more than he, and probably not making as big a deal of it, either. He sighed again as he stepped of the cracked concrete ramp and grabbed the handlebars of his scooter. Here he stopped and stared at his hand thoughtfully, flexing his fingers and watching the tendons snaking on the back of his hand as he felt the rain prickling on the back of his neck.

He smiled as he mounted his bike. He had made up his mind.

***

"Hey, Carla, you seen JD?" Turk hoisted himself onto the counter whilst noisily sucking on a smoothie carton from the canteen.

"He's gone to see his brother. And don't slurp like that, Turk, it's disgusting." Said Carla, eyebrow raised, as she watched Turk swing his legs like a small, hyped up child.

"Since when did JD _willingly_ visit his brother?"

"I don't know. I think it's good that they're spending time together. Maybe you'd do well spending some time with your brother. Maybe some of his good manners would rub off on you." Carla scowled as Turk continued to slurp his smoothie regardless.

"Well, that's fine by me," Turk exclaimed, "JD's like a brother to me, but if he's found someone else to offload on, I'm not complaining!"

"Turk! You should be more supportive of your friend!"

"Ah, come on, baby. You know I'm jokin'. And besides... without JD to babysit, maybe tonight we can have a night in... just the two of us... light some candles... put on some music..."

"Turk!" Carla scolded, but she was smiling. Turk grinned and jumped off the counter, giving her a quick peck on the cheek.

"Got to go, baby. I'll see you to-night! Keep working that thiiiiing!" Carla grinned and stuck out her tongue flirtatiously as Turk shuffled backwards round a corner. She continued smiling as she absent-mindedly brushed Turk's empty carton into the trash and turned back to the chart she had been looking at, but her smile faltered, and a furrow of worry worked its way across her face as she recalled Turk's words... now she thought about it, JD never visited his brother, and always loathed the times Dan visited him, it did seem a bit odd... but she was probably over reacting. She shook her head and chased the thought from her mind as she turned to check on her patients up and down the ward.

***

"All I'm saying, Elliot, is that maybe you should go over and just _check_ on JD, I'm not saying you have to spend the whole _evening_ with him," snapped an exasperated Carla down the phone.

"Well, he said he's going to his brother's, Carla! I'm not his nurse!" snapped an equally exasperated Elliot. "Why do we have to babysit him, anyway? He can take care of himself."

"Oh, come on. This is _JD _we're talking about."

"Okay, I see your point, but he's gonna have to take care of himself tonight because some of us have boyfriends who haven't seen the crazy yet and still find us attractive enough to have sex with!"

"Alright, alright! I'll get Doctor Cox to do it!" Carla slammed down the phone as the voice on the other end became so high it almost exited the realm of human hearing.

"Come on, baby, this train's gonna leave the station if you don't hurry!" came a voice from the other room. Turk appeared in the doorway in his boxer shorts.

"Just a minute!" Carla called, jabbing the phone buttons as if she had a personal vendetta against them. Turk disappeared from the doorway as she held the phone to her ear and tapped her fingers impatiently as the phone began to ring.

"He-llo?" came a bored sounding voice from the end of the phone.

"Dotor Cox, I need you to go and check on JD for me," said Carla pointedly.

"Aw, now Carla, why would I do a thing like that when I could sit at home stabbing a fork repeatedly into my leg instead?" came the sarcastic reply.

"Doctor Cox. You're gonna do this for me, because JD's going through a tough time right now, and you know that deep down you're fond of JD, and if you don't I'll make your life a living hell for the next week. Is that okay with you?" her voice dripped with mock concern as Dr Cox groaned down the phone.

"Fine. But don't expect me to rush over there, I have other stuff to do."

"Just so long as you go. Buh-bye now." Carla snorted and placed the phone down. Feeling satisfied, she turned on her heel and marched into the other room.

"Okay then. Where were we...?"

***

JD sat back on his reclining chair and stared at the sky. The rain had cleared up, leaving a clear sky sparkling with flickering stars as the setting sun cast an array of colours across the remaining clouds that lay low on the horizon. It was beautiful, but JD was in no mood to appreciate it. He lay in quiet contemplation until the last light of the day had disappeared, then got up.

JD looked around the small plot of land that he owned. Behind the decking was an array of tall bushes planted around the corners to create a small private space. JD jumped down, dragging his chair with him and checking the contents of his pocket as he did so. Pushing the chair into a sheltered area behind a particularly well flowered rosebush, he settled himself comfortably into the chair and plugged in his earphones, brushing his unusually un-groomed hair out of his face. Not that it really mattered to him anymore, of course.

He closed his eyes as the deep resounding piano notes filtered their way into his head.

_"She's just a small-town girl... living in a lonely wor-ld.." _

As the breathy voice began to sing JD relaxed and reached into his pocket. He hands clasped on the cold object and he drew it out of his pocket, leaving it to rest on his stomach as he enjoyed the music.

JD opened his eyes and lifted the penknife on his stomach. He flicked it open, and as he stared at the gleaming blade he was surprised to find he felt no fear. This just strengthened his resolve as he rolled up his sleeves and brought the small penknife close to his wrists, savouring the cold feel of the metal on his flesh. Funny, how such a thing usually associated with scouts and camp-fires and sing-songs could be used for such a purpose as his...

Now the cold blade pierced his flesh as he drew it across the inside of his wrist, making sure he severed the vein as he did so. That was the good thing about being a doctor. JD laughed at the irony; he had become a doctor to save lives, and now he was taking his own.

JD repeated the process on his other wrist, then dropped the bloodstained knife onto the ground with a sharp gasp. He stared at the torn flesh, smelled the salty sweetness and felt blood dripping warmly from the wound... he could even see his pulse still beating defiantly through the shining red mass of torn veins and tendons... if he twitched his fingers just so, he could still see a muscle attempting to move...

JD began to laugh. It wasn't a nice sound, even to his ears.

He twisted his head to the side and vomited violently onto the ground.

JD thought of all his friends; of Turk, Carla, and Elliot; he wondered for one last time what could have happened if they could have held it together for just long enough...

The music came to an end just as JD closed his eyes. An overwhelming tiredness took hold of him, and he sank into a dark, unforgiving unconsciousness.

***

Doctor Cox slammed the door of his car and straightened up as he observed the small plot of land that was JD's. He crossed his arms and leant against his car.

"Hey, Muriel!"

That should do the trick, he thought. If Sandy was here he'd come running up like an over-enthusiastic puppy in a flash. Though hopefully he _will_ be at his brother's, thought Doctor Cox. Another whiney self-pitying rant from the kid was the last thing he needed. His mind wandered to the scotch he'd left next to the TV, and the Jordan he'd left in the bedroom.

"Dorothy! Heel!"

This was odd. Doctor Cox brushed his nose and crossed his arms, his head tilted to one side in an angry scowl.

"Betty, get over here now or I'll go right ahead and interrupt your little slumber party or makeover or whatever it is you do with your time, but I re-_heally_ don't want to spend any more time here than I have to, so here's what I'm gonna do; I'm gonna count to five, and by the time I finish, you're gonna be down here, and please dear _God _try to keep your manhood intact for a change, capiche? 5...4...3..."

Now, this was just too odd, he thought. With an irritated growl he heaved himself out of leaning position and strode over the sidewalk and up the steps to the decking. He scanned the wooden decking. Definitely not here, he thought, with a feeling of relief. Now he could leave.

Glad his work was done, but at the same time pissed that he had been heaved out of his home for nothing, Doctor Cox Swung around and began to walk back to the car, before coming to a halt...something was strange here. He turned back around and surveyed what he saw.

There was the tent, zipped up and flaps closed. That was no big shocker, if he had really gone away for a few days. But then again, there was his scooter...why would he have not gone on his scooter? He was rarely seen without his camp little scooter. And why would he have left without taking that creepy dead dog? Surely he wouldn't have risked that disturbing thing being stolen, though why the hell anyone would want it beats me, he mused.

The cold glass eyes of the Labrador gave Doctor Cox the creeps, though he'd never admit that to anyone, if he could help it. Doctor Cox walked back up to the edge of the decking, and looked over the edge. Nothing there, either, except a few bushes. Rose bushes, he noted disdainfully. How very manly.

Doctor Cox almost turned away again, but just as he did he caught a glimpse of something shiny out of the corner of his eye. He turned and looked closer. If he looking carefully, he thought he could make out the shape of a... penknife? And next to that, the corner of something...a white plastic garden chair...in the middle of a rosebush?

Doctor Cox jumped down.

"Oh my god, Shit!"

For a few seconds the man couldn't move for the horror of the scene before him. Then his medical training kicked in, and Doctor Cox rushed forwards, trying hard to ignore the blood that was everywhere he looked. He grabbed the unconcious JD's wrists and lifted them into the air, while at the same time ripping off his jacket and wrapping them around the grisly wounds, applying pressure to try and stem the flow of blood. Not that there could be much blood left inside him now. A faint trickle oozed from underneath the thin fabric, underneath which Doctor Cox could just make out a barely distinguishable, erratic pulse.

"Shit, Newbie, what the hell is this?"

The tall man almost ripped his pocket in his desperate attempts to reach his cell phone. He whipped it to his ear before realising in his panic that he'd forgotten to dial 911. He swore loudly, cursing himself; more than 20 years in medicine and this son of a bitch made him lose his head. He stabbed in the numbers; desperately aware that time was slipping away.

"911, what's your emergency?"

Doctor Cox barely registered what he was saying. After the infuriatingly calm female voice had ceased to talk in his ear, he dropped the phone to the ground, where it lay, forgotten; he began to talk frantically to the unnaturally still form lying in front of him.

"Shit, newbie. I mean, shit! Why the hell would you go and do something like this to yourself, you, of all people! Speak to me!"

Doctor Cox shook JD, hard, painfully aware of how fragile he looked, his head lolled to one side, his mouth open, his clothes stained in an unforgiving red. The taller man kept babbling, not knowing what he was saying, but scared to stop. He couldn't stop.

Suddenly there was movement. A group of paramedics swarmed around, checking the still unconscious form, unpacking instruments, equipment, asking question after question. What happened? When did you find him? How long has he been here? What happened? What happened?

Doctor Cox shook his head. The questions seemed to be too far away to apply to him. A firm hand guided him towards the ambulance. He climbed in, staring at the stretcher, the beep and clatter of machines all around him. As the ambulance drove off, he shook himself; ashamed and furious of his momentary weakness, he began to help the paramedics. They had to work fast.

***

The phone rang.

Elliot woke up, blearily staring around at the darkened room. Who would be calling at this time of night? It must be important. She sat up, stretched, then threw off the covers and clumsily stumbled across the carpet, her slim frame clad in only a tight vest and skimpy underwear. In the bed the outline of a man rolled over as a beam of light from the next room fell across his face, waking him.

"Wh'izzit?"

"Don't worry, babe, I got it," Elliot called drowsily, grabbing the phone and sitting on the sofa so as to warm herself up.

"Hello?"

"Barbie. You need to come down to the hospital now. This is important"

"Doctor Cox?" Elliot flared up, suddenly angry. "This is my night off, tell them to get someone else to do whateve-"

"It's JD."

Elliot's stomach dropped, all anger forgotten. "JD..? What ha-"

"I'll explain later, just get here _now_. He might not hold up for much longer."

The phone clicked as Doctor Cox hung up. The high pitched tone from the receiver was all that could be heard through the quiet flat as Elliot sat in the dark, shocked, her silhouette outlined by the yellow glow of the flickering streetlamp shining uncaringly through the window.

***

The mottled white walls of the Intensive Care Unit reflected the green, jumping light from the ECG, and the monotonous beep of the machine was a constant reminder of how death lurked in the shadowy recesses of the hospital. The harsh white light from the strip lighting shone onto the reclining shape on the hospital bed, the red tube from the drip feeding blood into the form on the bed contrasting sharply with the clean whiteness of the sheets. The body lying there was a sorry sight indeed. Tubes twisted everywhere; they linked together underneath his nostrils, connecting him to the artificial respirator; they pierced his skin, fixing him to the numerous drips around his bedside.

But the first things to catch the eye were the wide bands of gauze, wrapped over and over again around the two wrists that lay exposed outside the bed sheets.

Doctor Cox stood outside the room, staring at the feeble figure through half shuttered blinds. His fingers were linked behind his head, and he stood stock still. Doctors and nurses gave him a wide berth, busying themselves with charts and pens and paper, lowering their eyes as they walked by. They had all known JD. Or they thought they had.

The loud clack of high heels broke the careful quiet of the ward, and a thoroughly dishevelled Elliot Reid came hurrying towards where Doctor Cox stood. Doctor Cox's arms dropped to his sides as he turned to face her.

"Doctor Cox, what the hell-"

She stopped mid sentence as she saw through the blinds into the room. Her mouth dropped open as she struggled to find the words. Doctor Cox spared her, talking in a monotone, the words that came from him having a flat, well rehearsed air.

"I found him this evening at his half-acre. It was an attempted suicide. We got him back to the hospital just in time; they were able to stitch his wounds pretty quick. Almost impossible work, they said, he made damn sure he cut deep."

Doctor Cox spoke emotionlessly, sparing no detail. Tears began to pour down Elliot's face as she moved into the room and sank down on a chair next to JD, her eyes never moving from his sunken face. Angry red shadows beneath his eyes illustrated just how pale the rest of his face was. The light caught his hair, his head tilted to one side, eyes flickering, but not opening.

"I only went over there because Carla made me. JD owes her his life, but he's lost a lot of blood. So much that he's in a self-induced coma. He may not be able to pull through, he's already crashed once. I'm sorry, Barbie, but all we can do now is hope he can pull himself through. You might want to say your last –"

At this point Elliot twisted her head sharply round, causing Doctor Cox to falter, but he quickly averted his eyes and carried on stoutly;

"You might want to say your last goodbye."

At this point a loud bang announced the arrival of Turk and Carla; the door bounced back on its hinges and slammed as they entered the room. Carla's face was already streaked with tears and raw with crying, Turk's face was an image of shock and bewilderment.

"We came as soon as we h-heard" choked Carla. Doctor Cox nodded and stared at the chart at the end foot of the bed.

"Did they tell you what happened?"

Carla nodded, fresh tears welling up in her eyes as she buried her head in Turk's chest. His eyes hadn't left JD's face the whole time, but his expression had changed; his face was now pulled tight in a stony expression as he bit his lip, hard.


	2. Chapter 2

_This is the second (and last) part of My Final Decision. _

_It took me longer that I thought it woud - it's a lot harder to write happy and funny scenes than it is to write sad ones, isn't it? I considered writing it so that JD died - but in the end, I just couldn't!  
_

_Also, I don't really know anything about medicine - so just bear that in mind when you read some of the more vague medical bits._

_I know it's a bit short, but still - please review!_

_I do not own the scrubs characters._

***

For the next three days everything seemed to be going by as if in a dream. People still crept past JD's room like it was a poisonous snake; people still avoided each other's eye and each other's company.

JD still didn't wake up.

Surprisingly, the Janitor set up station outside JD's room, sitting on the counter, brandishing his mop and scowling at anyone who happened to so much as smile in the vicinity. At one point he began aiming a slingshot at people's heads; people dived for cover as frozen peas pelted their heads, seemingly from nowhere. After a while people began to bring protection; charts, bedpans, even umbrellas were seen held up to the sides of people's heads as they anxiously tiptoed down the corridor.

"Hey, what's with you, man?" Turk confronted the Janitor one day after a volley of peas sent the whole ward into a confused panic when Doug's nervy disposition caused him to let go of a gurney, sending it rolling down the corridor and demolishing all in its path. "You spend 6 years treating JD as if he personally offended you in some way, and now you act as though you're some sort of guardian or something?!"

"Sometimes, you just can't explain unrequited love," The Janitor stared at a spot above Turk's head in a disturbing way. "Mops and medicine just don't mix. Like squirrels and lighter fluid."

Turk shook off the Janitor's remarks and moved on. At least someone around here was his normal self, he thought, looking intently at his shoes as Doctor Cox stalked past. You could cut the tension around here with a chainsaw.

***

Elliot was sitting next to JD's bed in her between shifts free time. She rarely left his bedside now. Many people had come to goodbye to JD; Elliot couldn't stand this. She couldn't let herself believe he might not wake up. He had crashed several times now; every time it happened she felt that overwhelming sense of hopelessness again, and the overwhelming sense of shame as she stood stock still and let the other Doctors take charge of the situation.

The good news was that the test results had come back, proving that JD wasn't brain-dead. He still had a chance of recovery, and however small, she would hang on to that. They all would.

JD turned his head to the side, making Elliot freeze. After a few minutes of inactivity she sighed and turned her head to look out the window at the evening sky, the orange autumn leaves dancing through the air. Just another false alarm. There had been quite a few of those. She turned her head back to the figure lying on the bed. She took in his pale skin, limp hair and shallow, laboured breathing. Her eyes wandered to his arms, but she jerked her head away; she had seen those wrists too many times already.

She looked back to JD's face just as the sun lowered itself over the top of the window and lit up the room. Sunlight framed the sad figure on the bed. All at once Elliot felt a wave of misery crash over her and her head sank into her hands, her eyes closed. She just wanted to get away from all this. She just wanted the guilt to go away...

Elliot heard another rustle from the bed. I suppose it's a good sign, she thought gloomily. At least he's moving now instead of staying still as a stiff. And, now I feel guilty for thinking such an unkind thing.

Tears slid down her face. She didn't bother to wipe them off. After a few minutes of self pity she wiped her face. Get a grip on yourself, she thought, as she straightened up and raised her head, to see JD's eyes were open and staring at the ceiling.

For a second she thought she was seeing things. Then JD rolled his head and looked her right in the eye.

"JD! Oh my god, you're awake! I thought you were-" She hurriedly changed tact. "So, um... how are you feeling?"

JD attempted a smile. Elliot would have preferred it if he didn't; it looked so strained and unnatural. "Pretty good, considering I didn't expect to be feeling anything."

There was an awkward pause. Then Elliot exploded, furious at the casual lack of emotion in JD's voice.

"JD, how could you do this to yourself? To us? What the hell were you thinking? All this time you act as though everything's great, everything's normal. How long how you been feeling that way? You should have told someone, JD, you're a Doctor – you should know that better than anyone!"

Elliot stopped as a new wave of tears threatened to escape. All the time she'd been shouting JD's breathing had become more agitated, his heart rate quicker. Aware that maybe shouting wasn't the best way to treat a newly awakened coma patient, she changed her approach, reaching out and touching JD's hand. It was icy cold. He drew it away; examining the bandages on his wrists. For a while they sat in silence. Then JD spoke.

"Elliot, I'm sorry-"

"Sorry? You're _sorry_? JD, do you have any idea what we've all gone through – what we would have gone through the rest of our lives feeling?"

"Yes, I do know. I know better than anyone... I guess I just wasn't thinking, but...I couldn't take it anymore." He drew his eyes up and met Elliot's gaze again. "Don't you ever feel it?"

The intensity of the brown eyes were creeping Elliot out. "Feel it..?"

"The guilt." JD's eyes dropped to his wrists, and he began fiddling with the bandages, making Elliot wince. "There's so many people in this hospital, and so many of them never make it out again. I just... I just feel so bad, like... why do we get to carry on when so many people never get that chance?"

Elliot felt all her anger drain away. She leaned over and gently took JD's hand again. This time he didn't draw away, but he closed his eyes as if trying to hold back the tears.

"JD... we all feel it. But we've got to get used to it, and in the end, we can only really delay death. There's not always some perfect solution."

"I know, I - I know, but... I don't think I can get used to it. I don't think I_ can_ be a doctor anymore."

There was a long pause. JD turned his head away in shame, while Elliot sighed and looked down, a pained expression on her face.

"No. Neither do I."

Another long silence, broken only by the beeping of the ECG and JD's fitful breathing. The sun sank lower, lighting up the clouds and highlighting the leaves even more now as they raced past the window, caught in a sudden, violent gust of wind. After some time Elliot began talking again, looking through the window to give JD some privacy as the tears rolled freely now down his face.

"Everyone was pretty shocked when it happened. You've had a visit from practically everyone in the hospital; there were so many flowers Kelso threatened to close the gift shop, but no-one took him seriously because we all know he couldn't go for a day without his muffins." She smiled sadly. "Kim came to visit. She seemed really cut up over you, seemed to be blaming herself. When I told her it wasn't her fault, that the miscarriage was just an awful fluke she started crying so hard nobody could get a word out of her for a whole half hour. She didn't stay long. Turk and Carla will want to see you as soon as possible, of course, but they're not here right now, and Doctor Cox-"

JD looked up and touched Elliot's arm. Their eyes met.

"For what it's worth... I really _am _sorry for what I did. I know it was stupid... and I can accept now that I need help... but – you've got to understand...at the time, it just seemed like the only solution..." all the while JD's voice was getting quieter and wearier. Elliot swallowed noisily, unable to think of a reply as JD's eyes closed as he fell back, exhausted, into a broken sleep.

She sat there, hand in hand with JD until the last ray of sunlight had gone to ground and the strip lighting flickered on in the hospital, shining on the young doctor and her patient.

***

"Hey, look who it is! He's back!"

"Couldn't keep me away if you tried." JD grinned and paraded up the ward, which was stifling in the summer heat. He reached Turk who had been waiting at the end of the ward, smacked hands with him and pulled him into a hug. "Everything seems so different. Even the Janitor seems nicer than I remember! What's up with that?"

"Who knows, man. So, what does it feel like to be a counsellor now, huh?

"Oh, it's great," JD said earnestly, "it's so good to be helping people who are going through the same thing I did, and it really helps them, too. Plus there's some pretty hot babes in the psychology department."

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Turk raised his eyebrows in a suggestive kind of way. "Any of them into you?"

"Well, this one girl did grab my butt and make barking noises... but I think she was a patient."

Turk laughed. "It's great to have you back, man."

"It's great to _be _back." JD smiled and tugged self-consciously at his sleeves. Turk knew without having to look that on JD's wrists would be a pair of non-descript white sweatbands, covering the long silvery scars he was still so ashamed of. "Things are gonna be different, now."

"I know. I'll make sure of that!" Turk pointed at JD cockily. "But don't think this means I'm going to go easy on you in my new game... elevator-ball!"

"Elevator ball?" you could hear the cynicism in JD's voice. "Wait a second, this isn't going to be Jigglyball all over again, is it?"

"Hell no. Here's what we do..." Turk removed a small pink rubber ball out of his pocket and jumped up onto the counter opposite the elevator, trying to look as blameless as he could. The elevator was filling up with people, including Doctor Kelso, who was carrying a muffin as delicately as a small creature in one hand and a coffee in the other. He greeted JD curtly as he stepped past him.

"Nice to have you back with us, Doctor Dorian."

"Wait for it..." muttered Turk as the elevator doors were closing. "Wait for it..."

"Now!" Just as the elevator doors were inches apart from each other he threw the ball as hard as he could through the gap with perfect aim. They just had enough time to hear complete and utter chaos inside the small box as the rubber ball bounced from wall to wall before the doors closed, including Doctor Kelso's agonised roar of "My muffin!"

They howled with laughter, Turk almost falling off the counter in his mirth. "Awesome," JD tittered, wiped tears of hilarity out of the corners of his eyes. "Hey, let me have a go!"

"Not yet," said Turk, "You've got to do it when they least expect. It's all part of the fun. Hey, have you taken your meds?"

"As if you guys would let me forget." JD took a small pot out of his pocket and shook it. "Got 'em right here."

"Just checking. Hey, I think Elliot wants to talk to you." Turk indicated a beaming Elliot, waving as she made her way down the ward. "I'll see you later, man. And don't forget," he passed him a small rubber ball, "to practice!"

"JD!" Elliot barrelled into him, clumsy as per usual, before giving him a hug. "You're back! Not that I haven't seen you for a while or anything, I mean, we see each other practically every other day, but I mean it's nice to see you back at the hospital, working, coz, you know, it's been so long - not that I'm trying to get you off my hands or anything-"

"Yeah, I've missed it too," JD cut in so as to help Elliot of the hole she was digging. "You really don't realise how much you can grow to love a place like this. While I was away, it's like something was missing."

Elliot snorted. "I'd forgotten how much of a girl you can be." She took his hand. "Come on, my shift doesn't start for a while. Let's go get a coffee."

They made their way down the long corridors into the lobby of the hospital, where they passed Doctor Cox, who gave JD a quick nod and grunted before turning his back on the couple. "I think that's the best you're going to get out of him for a while," Elliot whispered to JD. "He still hasn't completely forgiven you." JD nodded sadly, accepting this as he had known he would have to.

"Hey, Bambi. Nice of you to join us again," Carla bustled over from the nurse's station. Her determined air made JD gulp anxiously, thinking he was in for a tongue-lashing; but then Carla smiled and he relaxed again. "Seriously. It wasn't the same around here without you. No, Mr Jenkins, we don't eat that!" She scurried off as quickly as she had come to deter a confused looking gomer from chewing on a plastic chocolate wrapper.

JD suddenly felt a hand clap on his shoulder; he looked up into the face of the Janitor, who was glaring at JD. He was holding a small, pink rubber ball. JD made a motion to hide his own rubber ball that he was holding in his hand; he was also very aware he wasn't doing a very good job of it. "So. This is the way it's going to be, is it?" The Janitor motioned his two fingers towards his eyes, then back towards JD. "I'm watching you. Be careful. Be very careful." The Janitor carried on his glowering act as he disappeared round a corner, with his cart of cleaning supplies clanking all the way.

JD smiled widely as he turned back towards the door, feeling Elliot's hand in his and the sunshine on his face.

It was good to be back.


End file.
